Alvin Victor Richardson

Alvin Victor Richardson, 73, known to his friends as “Big Al”, passed away at his home in Ephrata on Sunday, September 1, 2013. Al was diagnosed with cancer over ten years ago; at the time his prognosis was a mere year. Very much like Al, he outlived his prognosis by a decade. Stubborn isn’t the correct summation of his character, more a firmness in strength and lack of fear to live every day face on; proved stronger than any doctor’s prognoses. Al was raised in Redmond, WA, he worked for the PUD in Seattle, then opened his own company called A&A Gas Heating. He then moved his family to Brewster, where he purchased and ran the Virginia City Motel for a number of years. After meeting Sherry, his new bride, they relocated to Wenatchee, where Al worked at the Red Lion Inn and Sherry at the Central Washington Hospital. Many years later, they moved to Ephrata, where they resided for the last 17 years. In Ephrata, Al continued to work as an independent Mechanical Engineer until he retired. But never one to sit still, in his retirement he found his “fun” job with the Wanapum Dam. Beyond the normal nine to five world, Al was best known as one of our region’s most knowledgeable and skilled riflemen, gunsmith and all around “Go To” person when it came to shooting, hunting and anything else a gun enthusiast would need or want to know. Al’s door was always open and available. He loved taking on new projects, designing new techniques, and providing guidance and support from his learnings over the years. Visiting Al, you always knew there’d be great food and a drink waiting for you as hospitality was in Al’s blood. His Christian beliefs and family traditions made him the open hearted, loving, wise, quick to laugh in a booming voice, type of a person everyone wanted to be around.

He will be dearly missed by his surviving family; his children, Jim Richardson and Michelle Soul, both of Seattle, Rick Richardson of Keizer, OR and Russ Woodard of Lacey; his brother, Jack Richardson of Redmond; and his sisters, Beth Culbertson of Bremerton and Carol Moore of Woodland. The family takes great comfort knowing he’s now reunited with his loving wife, Sherry Richardson, who preceded him in death two years ago.

A Memorial is being held in his honor on Saturday, September 21, 2013. For details, please contact the family at 509-771-0867. Arrangements are assisted by Telford’s Chapel of the Valley, East Wenatchee, WA.